December 24 in History

Athelstan granted eleven and a half hides at Fontmell to Shaftesbury Abbey.

Ferdinand joins the clergy at San Isidoro for Christmas matins despite his worsening illness.

Ferdinand visits the church of San Isidoro after returning to León in grave health.

Ferdinand returns to León on 24 December after leaving the Valencia campaign.

Excommunicates Henry IV

Captures Anglesey

The Santa Maria runs aground in Haiti

The Santa Maria runs aground in Haiti

Timbers salvaged from Santa Maria were used to build La Navidad after the flagship grounded off Hispaniola.

Sworn in as Lord Chancellor before Henry VIII at the chapel at Eltham

Lives in splendor at the palaces of Whitehall & Hampton court. Appointed Lord Chancellor

The Chantries Act transfers chantries, colleges and free chapels to the Crown and accelerates religious and financial change.

Parliament changes the legal form of episcopal appointments, strengthening the Crown's authority over the English Church.

The Sacrament Act receives royal assent and provides for communion to be administered in both kinds.

Parliament repeals several Henrician treason provisions and restores a narrower statutory definition of treason.

A severe law against vagrancy receives royal assent during the first parliamentary session of Edward's reign.

It was announced on 24 December that the re-opening of Parliament would be delayed, concern over the plague meant that rather than sitting in February, as the plotters had originally planned for, Parliament would not sit again until 3 October 1605

James attacks Parliament for "excess of lavish speech in matters of State"

Parliament attacks James Is pro-Spanish policy

Recaptures Baghdad from Safavid Persia

Edinburgh Castle surrenders to Parliamentarian forces after Cromwell's army occupies southern Scotland.

William III of Orange and Mary move into the newly enlarged Kensington Palace, which provides a healthier residence close to Westminster.

Publication of "Remonstrances Against Religious Assessments"

An Anglon alliance Treaty is concluded

Napoleon left Cairo for Suez to inspect the region and examine strategic possibilities connected with the Red Sea.

The assassination attempt results in further centralization & control

Escapes an assassination attempt by Royalists resulting in further centralization. Escapes an assassination attempt by Royalists

The locomotive takes its 1st outing on a British road

Nelson's body reaches Greenwich before the London funeral ceremonies.

Nelson's body is brought to Greenwich before his state funeral.

Yashwantrao Holkar concludes the Treaty of Rajghat, bringing his conflict with the East India Company toward an end.

After the Battle of Pultusk is awareded the Order of St. George of the Second Degree

Britain promises to return captured slaves, but instead a few years later paid the United States 250,000 pounds for them. A peace Treaty that ends the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The Treaty largely restores relations between the two countries to status quo ante bellum, due to the eras slow speed of communication, it took weeks for news of the peace Treaty to reach America, well after the Battle of New Orleans had ended.

The Treaty released all prisoners and restores all war lands and boats, that is, returned to America approximately 10,000,000 acres (40,000 km) of territory near Lakes Superior and Michigan, in Maine, and on the Pacific coast.

The United States had been unsuccessful in its invasions of Lower and Upper Canada, while Britain had not made any significant gains, except for the burning of Washington D.C., with its retaliatory raids on American soil.

The British delegation is composed of diplomats William Adams, James Lord Gambier, and Henry Goulburn

The Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812 and largely restores pre-war boundaries.

The British delegation is composed of diplomats William Adams, James Lord Gambier, and Henry Goulburn

The British delegation is composed of diplomats William Adams, James Lord Gambier, and Henry Goulburn

Antonios Kriezis is appointed Prime Minister of Greece.

Antonios Kriezis begins his long second term as Prime Minister.

Saxon and Hanoverian troops march into Holstein on behalf of the Confederation

Saxon and Hanoverian troops march into Holstein on behalf of the Confederation

Works with Plekhanov and Lenin on Iskra.

Works on Iskra as part of the exile editorial circle.

Helps launch Iskra as a central paper for Russian Marxists.

Joins Lenin and Plekhanov in the Iskra editorial group.

Serves as senior Marxist figure in the Iskra group.

Birth of Ava Lavinia Gardner

Kerensky develops his views through democratic opposition after 1917.

Hughes forms the Hughes Aircraft Company division of Hughes Tools

Takes office for his second elected presidency and restores stable civilian administration.

Takes office as President of Chile at the head of the Popular Front coalition.

Addresses the Empire during the first wartime Christmas of his premiership.

Transferred to Bataan to deny the Japanese the control of Luzon

Assassination of the Vichy leader in north Africa

Assassination of the Vichy leader in north Africa

Appointed Commander of the 21 Army Group

Appointed Commander of the 21 Army Group

Appointed Commander of the 21 Army Group to open a "2nd front" on D-Day

Appointed to open a "2nd front" across the Channel for D-Day

Appointed Supreme Commander of the Mediterranean

Appointed Supreme Commander of the Mediterranean

Is appointed to command 21st Army Group for the coming Allied invasion of north-west Europe.

Restores Greek confidence in Britain after demonstrations by the Nat Libreration Front

Enters Hairmyres Hospital for tuberculosis treatment.

Appoints Chen Cheng as Governor of Taiwan Province while preparing the island as an increasingly important Nationalist base.

Places Chiang Ching-kuo in charge of the Kuomintang organization in Taiwan Province as the party prepares for possible retreat from the mainland.

Idris becomes king of the newly independent United Kingdom of Libya.

Al-Muntasir becomes the first prime minister of independent Libya.

Perez San Roman is released from Cuban imprisonment as the Bay of Pigs prisoner exchange is completed.

Artime is released from Cuban imprisonment with other Brigade 2506 members under the exchange agreement.

Oliva is released with other Brigade 2506 prisoners following completion of the negotiated exchange.

Congratulates the Apollo 8 crew during the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon.

Participates in the Christmas Eve television broadcast from lunar orbit.

Participates in the Christmas Eve television broadcast from lunar orbit and closes the crew's message to Earth.

Photographs Earth and the lunar horizon during Apollo 8's historic lunar-orbit mission.

Observes Earth rising above the lunar horizon with the Apollo 8 crew during lunar orbit.

Commands Apollo 8 as the crew passes behind the Moon and loses radio contact with Earth.

Participates in the Christmas Eve Genesis reading broadcast to Earth from lunar orbit.

Observes and photographs lunar terrain to support planning for later Apollo landing missions.

Conducts landmark tracking and navigation observations during Apollo 8 lunar orbit.

Commands the second lunar-orbit insertion burn, circularizing Apollo 8's orbit around the Moon.

Serves as lunar module pilot during Apollo 8's first lunar-orbit insertion burn.

Commands the burn that places Apollo 8 into lunar orbit.

Serves as command module pilot during the burn that places Apollo 8 into lunar orbit.

Photographs lunar terrain and prospective landing areas during Apollo 8’s ten lunar orbits.

Leads a worldwide Christmas Eve television broadcast from lunar orbit.

Commands the crew that first sees Earthrise from lunar orbit.

Photographs Earthrise during Apollo 8 lunar orbit.

Becomes one of the first humans to see the Moon’s far side when Apollo 8 passes behind it.

Appointed Prime Minister of Japan

MRND dominance is reinforced through the national vote.

Is confirmed as president in a single-candidate election.

Russia invades after Amins unpopularity & failure to suppress the guerrillas

Vietnam invades Kampuchea

Visits the security services in Ulster

Soviet forces enter Afghanistan in a major military intervention intended to preserve a pro-Soviet government.

Large Soviet military units enter Afghanistan as Moscow prepares to replace Amin.

Signs legislation intended to enable Irish ratification of the Single European Act.

Faces a High Court injunction preventing ratification of the Single European Act without further constitutional consideration.

The Presidents of Russia, Ukraine & Belarus create the Commonwealth of Ind States

The Presidents of Russia, Ukraine & Belarus create the Commonwealth of Ind States

Russia assumes the Soviet Union's United Nations membership and Security Council seat.

Russia takes the USSRs place in the UN

Smith helps replace an older mechanical data recorder with a solid-state digital recorder during the final spacewalk.

Grunsfeld helps install a replacement transmitter for sending Hubble scientific data to the ground.

In a move widely seen as political persecution, Nour is convicted of forgery and sentenced to five years at hard labor

Hamadi Jebali became head of government following the Constituent Assembly election.

Dodon leaves office after losing the 2020 presidential election

Maia Sandu becomes President after winning the 2020 presidential election

Concludes negotiations on the UK EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The UK and EU agree the Trade and Cooperation Agreement before the transition ends.

Al-Khasawneh participates in state visit connected with Jordanian political and historical developments.

Birth of Selim III, son of Mustafa III

Birth of Howard Hughes

Birth of Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister

Mary Stuart, the mother of William III of Orange, dies of smallpox while visiting England, intensifying disputes over his guardianship.

Death of Jean Francois Darlan, assassinated

Death of Karl Doenitz

Death of Toshiro Mifune

Death of Anthony Meyer

The Tsar awards Bennigsen command of the Russian Armies. Claims a Russian victory